IT SEEMS odd to us, looking back across more than 2,800 years of history, that Elijah would run from Jezebel right after seeing what God had done on Mount Carmel. 

Well, it’s easy to criticize. It’s likely none of us would have done better in Elijah’s place. We discuss how he was ministered to by the Angel of the Lord, the preincarnate Christ, while on the way to Horeb (Mount Sinai), and how God revealed Himself to Elijah in a way that was less than spectacular—especially after sending winds that tore the mountain, an earthquake, and fire. 

In the same way, we often expect God to show Himself to us in earth-shattering ways and miss the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit. 

But while it’s easy to criticize Elijah, we have to point out that Ahab, who likewise saw the miracle on Mount Carmel andmiraculous victories over the Aramean armies of Syria still failed to follow the Lord’s command—a mistake that ultimately meant the end of his kingdom.